A steep climb can easily defeat the most powerful steam engines in wet conditions. How Tornado managed to haul her heavy load to the top without stalling I don't know. But she succeeded, proving that, even if climbing a stiff gradient slows her down, she refuses to be defeated. Credit to you, Tornado. Don't let the slippery bugs bite.

Many thanks for great railway entertainment!

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hi and thank you for the nice comment, glad you enjoyed the clip. Best regards, Alan

What a great thing to have achieved, the building of a brand new steam loco, I still find it amazing!

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Too true!!! Thank you for your comment. Regards, Alan

Great footage. First time I think I have seen Tornado struggle and actually sound like she is working hard for a change.

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hello Steve and thank you for your kind feedback. Glad you enjoyed the clip. Best regards, Alan

Excellent video thanks for posting

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

You are welcome Brian, thank you for your kind feedback. Best regards, Alan

Cracking shots Alan , you did well to get the last shots due to the slow climb . Hope she does better on Shap and the S&C this Saturday !

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hi Stephen and thank you for your kind feedback. She should be fine, Cumbrian rain isn't as slippery as Devon mizzle! Best regards, Alan

I found it fascinating to watch, even though the crew were probably sweating buckets to keep Tornado on the move. Thankfully the leaves weren't coming off the trees at the same time! Thank you for being there to make this interesting film.

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hello Brian and thank you for your kind and interesting feedback. Best regards, Alan

@BrianSeaman

6 жыл бұрын

No problem Alan - I've subbed and look forward to viewing your back catalogue during the long winter evenings. Cheers, Brian

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Even nicer Brian. Welcome aboard! Alan

A pleasure to watch.

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Many thanks for your much appreciated feedback. Best regards, Alan

Great shots. Poor girl had quite a time with so many cars, but she did it. Thanks for sharing. Best wishes and blessings from the States.

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hi and thank you for your kind feedback, it's my pleasure to share such an interesting day. Best regards, Alan

@LB91119

6 жыл бұрын

They aren't cars 🚗 they are coaches 🚋

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Coaches over here and cars across the pond. As they say: "two nations divided by a common language" !

@LB91119

6 жыл бұрын

Steamclips yea that is very true but I think they should be the same ( coaches ) after all we did invent them

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

As we did with the English language Susan but that didn't stop our colonies from developing the language in different ways. Returning to the "coach" theme, did you realise that on U.S. Railroads (not railways!), "coach" is in fact a "class" similar to our "standard class", so you can travel "coach" in a "car", that at least is a small concession! Regards, Alan

Poor old girl, nice video Alan.

@Steamclips

5 жыл бұрын

Hello Barry and thank you for your kind and amusing comment. Best regards, Alan

Brilliant video Alan. Tornado worked well. Done well on the wet tracks. Shame you didn't take that last clip. Little bit of rain don't stop enthusiasts lol. Fantastic days filming well worth watching. Kind regards C&A

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hi C&A: Thanks as always for your most valued and kind comments. The problem with my last shot was that you could see nothing past the end of your nose and I was trying to film across the Teign Estuary!! Best wishes, Alan

Give credit to the footplate crew for keeping Tornado moving hauling a heavy load under difficult conditions. Good to see her at speed in the earlier shots.

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hi Keith and thank you for your valued comments. Regards, Alan

Another great video, even in contrary conditions. Along with your vid of the rescue of 4475, there's a feeling that high-drivered locies weren't meant for this line. 12 carriages and slipping - and yet the 57xx pulled 7 from standstill from Greenway Halt. A good evening of viewing tonight... and more to come. Thanks for the recordings, I've a special folder to keep them in.

@Steamclips

4 жыл бұрын

Judging from viewing figures, people love to see trains in trouble for some reason!! Any pacific tackling the climb to Churston is taking a risk but Tornado seems to be able to manage it even as here in poor conditions. An A4 or Spam Can, forget it! so they always put the local diesel on the back. Getting back to "Grampy", he told me an amusing story of how all trains were cancelled during one summer because there were millions of caterpillars crossing the climb at Goodrington.....you couldn't make it up could you? Best regards, Alan

Fantastic video thanks

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hi and thank you for your kind comment. Best regards, Alan P.S. love the avatar!

Unfortunately a 4-6-2 will always struggle for adhesion & the driver has a fine balance between putting power on & slipping. I do agree that many of our main line steam locos are often being loaded to the limit.

Loco builders: "Yup. Still got it."

I enjoyed that video not often you hear tornado bark, from my experience with 5029 and 34046 working torbays. The driving over the preserved section is handled by the railways senior drivers. So it's guys who know the line and conditions

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hi Pete and thank you for your kind and interesting comments, I think you have summed it up in a nutshell. Best regards, Alan

Brilliant video! shame she lost her footing, but those rails especially along the coast would be hard going for any loco drawing that length of train with just six wheels or around 100mm of metal on slippery metal! the crew did a great job

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

You get it Mike. Let's celebrate rather than criticise the driving! Many thanks for the nice feedback. Best regards, Alan

@MikesMovies

6 жыл бұрын

Cheers Alan, I'm a driver so yes I get it :) lovely sight and great job following her progress.

Shes doing pretty good hauling a 12 car rake! Hoping I might make it on the next run down to Torbay !

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hi and thank you for your comment. You might be interested in the response I gave to "James Simpson" elsewhere in the comments section. Regards, Alan

I see Tornado in Norfolk bank holiday Monday, fantastic engine.

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hi Anthony: it sounds like she put on a good show. Thank you for your comment. Regards, Alan

Pulling 4 carriages on the original photo. Now you've got the poor old choofer pulling 12 & you wonder why it struggles.

Slip sliding away Eh.. Very good video indeed

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Many thanks and keep smiling! Best regards, Alan

"Oh, the indignity!"

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

You know what they say: "The bigger they come......."but she just about kept her feet ! Thank you for the stimulating comment. Regards, Alan

Should have stuck a GWR Hall on the back to give it shove up those banks.

Some nice shots there, shame the weather was so 'dreich'!

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hello Ross: yes it did get a little "Scottish"! Thank you for your kind feedback. Best regards, Alan

Good shots! Good work by the crew as well. It didn't look as though they were using the sanders - I wonder why.

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hello Nick: you make a good point about sanders. My guess is that either the sand ran out or the (local?) crew knew she would make it, albeit with a major struggle. Thank you for the kind and thought provoking feedback. Best regards, Alan

Hmmm. I think they're handled by P&DR crews from Paignton, so perhaps some unfamiliarity, although they did a great job with Clan Line. I wonder why they didn't use the sanders?

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

You are right Andrei: the local crews usually man visiting loco's, I think that is why they managed to get the train to the top without sanders. I often hear them practicing starts up in the cutting so they have plenty of experience. Alan

Perfect candidate for a double-header. (Did I hear anyone mention Flying Scotsman?)

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Unusually no one mentioned the FS words! Thanks for your fun comment. Regards, Alan

When will they learn? This was a lucky escape, but a pacific steam locomotives hauling 12 coaches through a steep undulating route in the wet is bound to cause problems. Take Tangmere and Bitterne for example. Banking assistance on this route or similar routes is almost certainly needed or at least on standby in adverse weather. Don't get me wrong I love a video of Goliath or Hercules coming to the rescue..... Hold that thought! fail more! I wanna see more rescue videos! lol

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hi and thank you for your comments. I requested a comment from the crew today and will post their response if/when I get it. Regards, Alan

Ironic how I watch this after watching the video of the two Black 5's struggling on greasy tracks

So much power and a case of gently Bentley.

@Steamclips

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your valued comment Barry. Power vs Adhesion, the Pacific's "Achilles Heal" and why the GWR stuck with 4-6-0's. Kind regards, Alan

well theirs a difference between struggling and slippy rails she has plenty of power but with the slippy wet rails she was having a hard time getting traction but the driver soon got the Locomotive to grip if she was struggling she be out of power and need a banker even diesels find it hard to find traction in wet conditions but some people like to make a big drama out of nothing

@Steamclips

5 жыл бұрын

Hello Anna Jeanette and thank you for your comments. You are "spot-on" with your assessment of course! Regards, Alan

Plenty of steam, safety valves blowing off, and I suspect plenty of power. Steam locomotives have sanding gear to prevent wasteful slipping (therefore losing momentum) on a gradient or wet track. Did no one remember to fill the sand boxes?

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hi and thank you for your valuable comments and question. You are correct in your comments about sanders, however it should be remembered that the loco was in the hands of a "local" crew who have: a) intimate knowledge of the route, especially in slippery conditions and; b) a desire/incentive not to use sand if at all possible due to the wear on wheels and track. The fact that the train did not stop despite the slipping is a credit to the crew on the day as attested by comments received from railwaymen. Regards, Alan

Wait..they chanded the headboard? You cant say it "Sturggled" to climb the banks at goodrington, because all steam trains do.

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hi and thank you for your comment. Yes, I was wondering why they changed from the GWR style headboad to the B.R. Western Region headboard at Taunton, maybe they wanted to give both an outing on this last run. The dictionary definition of "struggle" is "make a determined effort to overcome a difficult situation", in this case the "difficult situation" was the slippery track and the "determined effort" was supplied by an expert crew who managed to keep the train on the move despite the difficult conditions, so "struggle" seemed to me to be appropriate in this instance. Regards, Alan

For the want of friction: not power.

Tornado obviously has enough power but trying to maintain traction is the issue. Great job from the crew. Reminded me of poor old Blue Peter at Durham in the 90's! :)

overloaded

Well it's hauling about 500 carriages and so I think it's overloaded

@stevedickson5853

2 жыл бұрын

...🤣

Tornado is an express engine , she should be running at 50 mph plus. The organisers should have run two trains.

Excellent footage, just goes to prove how good the Kings & Castles were better.

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hi and thank you for your kind comment. It just goes to show that after the "Great Bear" experiment, Churchward was probably right to conclude that pacifics were not really suited to the G.W.R. Best regards, Alan

@bingola45

6 жыл бұрын

I hadn't thought of that, The trailling wheels becone a liability in this situation. Did any of the A1s have a booster?

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hi: boosters were not fitted to A1's as far as I understand. I think that the L.N.E.R. gave up on the idea fairly quickly. Here is some info I found: www.lner.info/article/tech/compound/boosters.php Regards, Alan

@bingola45

6 жыл бұрын

Might be time to revisit the booster. Another idea might involve equalizing arrangements to take weight off the trailling axle when climbing.

I swear she's saying "I think I can, I think I can,I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

@stevedoubleu99B

6 жыл бұрын

ANTON RUDENHAM I've had some cars like that!!

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hi Anton and thank you for the fun comment. That distinctive three cylinder beat does seem to be talking! Regards, Alan

Is 'Charlton' Cogload?

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Yes Rich, as I say in the description. The bridge is Charlton Road, Cogload Junction is about half a mile up the line. Regards, Alan

@richbaldwin-lee4910

6 жыл бұрын

Must need better reading glasses. Can't see it anywhere:-(

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hi again Rich: On account of your question I have added to the description. Many thanks for your valued input. Regards, Alan

That poor locomotive.... that is totally irresponsible.

Not the sort of thing I enjoy watching. A beautiful express locomotive should not be subject to struggling up steep and curving gradients. A1's were designed for speed, hence the large wheels, not for plodding. She should have had a banker on the back on this final stretch of the journey. Wheelspin may be a cheap thrill to the casual novelty seeker but damage to the track and locomotive ultimately costs thousands to repair. It seems ironic that recently she was all wired up to test her ability to run fast and yet months later was allowed to be hammered like this!

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your comment Pete and although I respect your point of view I do not think that the locomotive was put under any undue stress and was handled very sympathetically by the crew. My response to "James Simpson" may be of interest to you. Regards, Alan

@manga12

6 жыл бұрын

Well I agree, but I would be an american, you got certain types of engines for certain things. case and point as extreme opposites, you can make a shay that is called a side winder that can go up 16 percent grade, and has independent wheels so it can take crappy temporary tracks and take sharp turns a regular ridged loco could not dream of, but they can only go 20 mph at most, and are narrow gauge for usually logging and mining loads, you would not try to pull a flat out main line excursion with it, on the other end you have something like 611, 844, and the old 614 they are fast northerns that have a good mix of power but were made for crack shot passenger trains you dont relegate them to 20 mph service unless you really have to they are made to be thoroughbreds, and for main line flat out service or only a little bit of hills, or you got something like a mallet that has two sets of drivers and is made for pulling though mountains but you nutier it by making it do slow service and dont put it under the load that its met to do. fast trains that pull moderate load fast freight and passenger locomotives are made to go fast and work most efficient if you let them run wild and free, like 765, she works best doing above 45 mph to 70 mph, under a good load that is where her cut off and big super heater really shine she was made to pull 50-100 car trains at 60 mph or slightly above by design besides your right Pete all that wheel slip and overspeed can do real damage to the drive wheels and grind pits into the rails, and if left go too long can damage stuff like pistons, cause a derail as it bounces off the rails, or heat up the tire around the drive wheels and throw it off in some cases, and they were beating her up here, they are making a race horse pull a wagon or plow in a field where a Belgian or Clydesdale should be used.

@Rosie6857

6 жыл бұрын

(Pete Deverell) Romantic nonsense. Take a good routine express engine like a GW Castle. On the one hand it was expected to zoom along easy gradients at 80 mph and on the other it had to bark its way up Hemerdon at 12 mph or take 11-12 coaches through Cornwall with its curves, gradients and restrictions. It did all three successfully and its suitability for one type of work did not impinge in the slightest on its suitability for other work. So with the A1's. Part of their job was to take heavy trains up Beattock, 10 miles of 1 in 75, which they did rather well at 30-35 mph. The problem with Tornado is simply a lack of adhesion, something that cannot be changed except by rebuilding it as a 2-8-2 or more interestingly, a 4-8-0 with a very long narrow firebox. Ask the French.

@merlinlandzend698

5 жыл бұрын

True, those short and severe gradients with those loads were handled by the kings.

What Tornado needs is 'Magnadhesion'

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Now there's an idea Steve, maybe you should run that one past Network Rail! Thanks for making me smile. Regards, Alan

@stevedoubleu99B

6 жыл бұрын

Steamclips I'm glad my comment was taken in the fun way it was intended, thank you.

@ianballinger7644

5 жыл бұрын

At least on steam it would not short out the pickup wheels a-la Triang / Hornby Might even work !.......lol

Looks overloaded for the route it was on.

@LuckyTrucker1

6 жыл бұрын

I do believe it was the usual load for a King or a Castle but then they weren't Pacifics .

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hello and thank you for your comment. You may be interested in the response I gave to "James Simpson" elsewhere in the comments section. Regards, Alan

@ianballinger7644

5 жыл бұрын

Nowhere near being overloaded,..... problem due to lack of adhesion under weather conditions at the time causing slippery rails on grade.

I am lucky enough to have tickets to travel on the A1 Class 60163 "Tornado" from Edinburgh to York via the Carlisle Settle line on Saturday 3rd November where my friend and I will visit the National Railway Museum. I would like to do a small pre-trip video before my trip as during the trip we intend to interview some of the other passengers, driver, train staff about the locomotive and there love of steam. In the video I intend to make I will ask my subscribers and viewers what questions they would like us to ask in the interview. Then I will make a video after the trip with their responses and my videos of the trip. As I do not have any of my own video of the Tornado I would really appreciate it if I could use some of your excellent videos clips of the Tornado. Please could e-mail me at glasgowlife@hotmail.com to discuss. Thanks

What does 12 carriages, full of "enthusiasts" weigh?? The locomotive is clearly overloaded on this route, as others have been before. About time the organisers wake up, stop being so greedy and, use the correct load for this route. LNER A3 & A4 Pacifics were designed for the London to Edinburgh run at 100mph,not this nonsense we have depicted here.

@ostlandr

6 жыл бұрын

Indeed, like hitching a thoroughbred to a plow.

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hello James and thank you for your interesting questions and comment. You are right to say that A4 & A3's were not designed for this type of route and neither was the A1, however I have made some calculations which I hope will answer your questions. Firstly a loaded Mk1 coach is 40.5 tons making a combined static load (including tender) of 540 tons (129600 lbs). Taking the gradient as 1 in 60 and making allowance for friction and curves, this load represents a pull of 22,216 lbs on 60163's drawbar. Even in B.R. days an A1's maximum tractive effort was 37,400 lb, i.e. 40% more than required here. Tornado however has benefited from many improvements, especially to draughting, meaning that this load is more like half of what she is theoretically capable of pulling. What we had on the day however was (as Network Rail might say) "the wrong type of rain" which suddenly descended over Torbay and made the track very greasy, even the "Manor" pulling 7 coaches found it slippery! If it had been raining all morning there would not have been a problem for a pacific as you can see in the second half of this clip: kzread.info/dash/bejne/eZh9psGRYde7Xdo.html . Sorry for the long winded answer but it might conveniently answer similar questions from other contributors. Regards, Alan

@shadow_wolfen

6 жыл бұрын

thanks for that, good to know :)

@jamessimpson7272

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your reply.Your figures may ,or may not be, correct,but something is clearly not right. Did you include the loco weight too ? I have revisited one of your own video`s showing Bittern on the same route in 2012 hauling 12 carriages (with a Diesel pusher) stalling and needing an extra steam pusher to get going again.No rain that day either. kzread.info/dash/bejne/X3mKzZpultabpLA.html This nonsense has been going on for some time, it seems. Engineers Peppercorn,Gresley and yes Brunel himself would recognise the folly,reduce the train weight and,have a powerful pusher on hand to maintain track speed. Reciprocating steam engines cannot produce an even torque and need to maintain a reasonable RPM , to smooth the delivery, plus full steam cut off,at full boiler pressure to attain their full drawbar power. This must be a nightmare for the drivers,trying to maintain speed,without spinning up and juggling throttle and cut off, only to be brought to a standstill because of gradient and the weight to pull. I have subscribed today. Keep up the good work and with luck somebody might sort the problem out. The reputation of these fine engineers and their superb locomotives is being seriously damaged.

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

I requested a comment from the crew today. Will let you know their response if/when I receive it. Regards, Alan

Why do these rail charter companies insist on overloading their locomotives with carriages and passengers ? I know that they have to make a profit, but the old (and recently built) steam engines, deserve to be treated with more respect rather than be sacrificed on the altar of chartered greed. Whenever I see something with 10 or more carriages, I often wonder if a link on one of the coupling chains will one day snap, cause bloodshed and death and destroy the rail charter industry.

@tgk300xx4

5 жыл бұрын

MrHeesbeen Couplings on Mk1 will not snap on grades like this with 12 or 13 on you would need way more coaches for that to happen.

Hi Steamclips. Would it be possible for us to be gifted a still clip from your video? We're looking for shots of Tornado on this run, but we have hardly any good ones. You can contact me at tonywatson@mac.com or photos@a1steam.com. Regards, Tony Watson A1SLT Photographic Archive

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

No problem Tony, will be in touch. Regards, Alan

three million for that load of junk. Total madness

@mitorider1365

4 жыл бұрын

It's pulling too much weight in damp conditions. 12 cars is way too much for an A1 class 4-6-2. 8 cars would be pushing your luck on that line. They do the same to the A4 class 4-6-2 Bittern, overload it with 12 cars and it struggles just the same.

@davidantoniocamposbarros7528

3 жыл бұрын

@@mitorider1365 pretty sure it's loss of traction

@mitorider1365

3 жыл бұрын

@@davidantoniocamposbarros7528 It is but due to being over weight. If it was a flat grade, It would have been ok i expect.

I'm a bit unclear about how the crew get praised for their great knowledge and skill whilst allowing an expensive locomotive to continually slip I'm this way. Similarly, if the sand ran out on such a short run, where other locomotives have had similar problems..... I'd say that was negligence.

@Steamclips

6 жыл бұрын

Hello Bob: I respect your opinion but suggest there is a huge difference between controlled (harmless) and uncontrolled (dangerous, as seen in the middle of this clip: kzread.info/dash/bejne/lZmDpal7m6yqg9I.html ) slipping. It is probable that sand was kept back as a last resort as there is a cost to both track and tyres if used but I will find out for certain from the crew when I next meet them and add to the description. However, forward motion was maintained throughout, the train reached the top in very difficult track conditions and we at the lineside were treated to a masterclass of locomotive handling as I am sure any experienced driver will confirm to you. Regards, Alan

Poor train, overloaded and straining. Stupid drivers and money hungry organisers, hooking 12 overweight cars when they know the load capacity is impossible to manage on that step hill. How stupid is that? No wonder steam boilers blow up.

@arfski

6 жыл бұрын

Not in the slightest overloaded, www.researchgate.net/figure/282965386_fig5_Figure-5-Adhesion-coefficient-of-wheelrail-under-dry-water-and-oil-conditions-v-14

@zstation64

6 жыл бұрын

How often do steam boilers blow up due to 'overloading'? I'll answer that question: Never.

@Rosie6857

6 жыл бұрын

On the 1 in 60 we saw that the loco was just about at the limit of adhesion and only made it by the skill and restraint of the driver. The adhesion coefficient needed for this is about 0.16 (a careful calculation), which is much less than figure for a dry rail quoted in the link. Some factor (maybe many) has not been accounted for but simple observation shows that the train really was overloaded and should have had a banker. I wonder why it didn't. Machismo? A bit silly when you're running a railway. Maybe some more valid reason.